FAQs

Q?Does ACL Steel do supply structural steel for LEED Projects?

A.

ACL Steel has successfully supplied and installed a number of LEED Certified projects working in conjunction with their steel suppliers. When designing a structural steel building and LEED points is a concern the engineer should be aware that WF shapes offer the best recycled content, while using HSS shapes produces lower recycled contents and often creates difficulty achieving the desired LEED points.

Q?Can your prime paint be considered a finished paint?

A.

ACL Steel cleans and prime paints their structural steel to CISC/CPMA 1-73a. Our prime paint is a one coat shop applied primer, is warranted for 90 days after the product is applied and stored in our yard, and should not be considered a finish paint. Structural steel with shop applied primer requires the new building to be enclosed, protected from the elements (wetness/condensation, etc), and generally climate controlled as quickly as possible to avoid any potential issues with bleed through or rusting on sharp edges or joints of the steel (ie weak points where build up of paint material is hard to achieve). If visual aesthetics are high on your clients priority list a finish coat of paint should be applied over any shop applied primer.

Yes. Specifying AESS finishing increases the cost of drafting, detailing, and fabrication due to the labour intensive efforts required to produce the desired aesthetics and finishes. Architects and Engineers preparing technical specifications should be aware of the increased costs before specifying AESS finishing and clearly exclude or include AESS at their client’s discretion.

Structural steel components such as WF shapes, C shapes, HSS shapes, angles, and plates are processed differently, processed at different locations, and have different thicknesses and chemical compositions. The reaction between steel and zinc varies as a result of all these factors (and many more), which produces different galvanized zinc surface finishes and colours/sheens. You can obtain a dull matte grey finish to a shiny bright finish through the hot dip galvanizing process and the overall performance of the coating will not be sacrificed regardless of finish appearance. The important thing to remember is you’ve obtained a durable coating through the process that will offer excellent protection to exterior exposure for years to come.

Q?What is the typical turn around time for structural steel delivery to the job site?

A.

Each and every job is unique and the deliverable timeline will vary. Structural steel can typically be delivered to a job site within 10-12 weeks from a contract award. Much smaller projects can be delivered quicker, and larger more complex projects will require more time. The main factors affecting structural steel delivery include the quality of the architectural and structural tender set of drawings and whether they are well coordinated, the approval drawing turn around process/time, the availability of structural steel from the suppliers or mills (rolling dates), and the availability of drafting and shop time at our facility.

Q?Where are you located?

A.

For all of our contact information, including address and phone numbers, please visit our Contacts page.